An Egyptian in Space
(Source: Cairo Review)
Omar Samra is reaching for the moon. He was the first Egyptian to
ascend to the summit of Mount Everest. He was also the first of his
countrymen to climb the highest peaks on the other six continents.
Soon, he plans to go even higher. In 2015, Samra is set to become the
first Egyptian in space.

Last December, Samra spent a week at the Kennedy Space Center competing
for the chance to experience a space flight. It was a contest sponsored
by the AXE personal care product company, and Samra was among
twenty-three who made the grade out of a final international field of
more than one hundred.

When he embarks on his own trip of a lifetime next year, Samra will
board a two-seater Lynx spacecraft and jet sixty-two miles into space
at three times the speed of sound. After gliding in outer space for
five minutes and experiencing weightlessness, the Lynx will complete a
parabolic flight then land on a standard runway either in California’s
Mojave Desert or on the Caribbean island of Curacao. (5/14)

How Do You Build a City
in Space? (Source: Guardian)
Science fiction has delivered on many of its promises. Star Trek
videophones have become Skype, the Jetsons’ food-on-demand is
materialising through 3-D printing, and we have done Jules Verne one
better and explored mid-ocean trenches at crushing depths. But the
central promise of golden age sci-fi has not yet been kept. Humans have
not colonized space.

For a brief moment in the 1970s, the grandeur of the night sky felt
interactive. It seemed only decades away that more humans would live
off the Earth than on it; in fact, the Space Shuttle was so named
because it was intended to make 50 round trips per year. There were
active plans for expanding civilization into space, and any number of
serious designs for building entire cities on the moon, Mars and
beyond. Click here.
(5/16)

No Cut-Corners for
Falcon-9 Certification, Same for Antares & Liberty
(Source: Space News)
The research center hired by the Air Force to evaluate the SpaceX
Falcon-9 v1.1 rocket for national security launches has no intention of
shortcutting the process or deviating from the certification procedures
it has used in the past with Delta-4 and Atlas-5 rockets, a senior
center official said.

Ray Johnson of Aerospace Corp. said the goal is to have the initial
assessment of Falcon-9 completed by June, after which an in-depth,
subsystem-by-subsystem engineering evaluation will begin featuring 17
separate engineering review boards. He said the process is on track to
be completed by the year’s end. SpaceX might be permitted to compete
for Air Force launches before the rocket is fully certified, but that
no actual contract award would come prior to certification.

SpaceX is not the only company that has filed a statement of intent to
compete for Air Force launch contracts. ATK has filed documentation for
its Liberty rocket, and Orbital Sciences seeks to begin the
certification for the Antares rocket, which has not yet performed the
kind of launches that would count toward certification. Antares
missions to the ISS do not demonstrate a satellite’s separation and
deployment, so they are not valid as part of the evaluation process.
(5/16)

Yuzhmash Signs Agreement
with Dnepropetrovsk Regional State Government (Source:
Parabolic Arc)
Ukrainian rocket maker Yuzhmash has signed an agreement under which the
Dnepropetrovsk Regional State will provide financial and organizational
support to the company and protect against being taken over by Russian
separatists. Yuzhmash produces major elements of Antares, Cyclone,
Dnepr, Vega, and Zenit rockets. Click here.
(5/14)

Virgin Galactic Outlines
Plans for Move to Spaceport America (Source: Parabolic Arc)
While engineers in Mojave prepare WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo for
another round of test flights, others in the company are preparing to
ramp up operations at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Virgin Galactic
senior program manager Mark Butler said there are five pilots ready to
go, and they need four for operations. By the time Virgin Galactic is
ready to launch the space tourism program, it will have eight fully
trained pilots. (5/14)

'Lunar Bible' From Apollo
14 Sells at Auction for $75,000 (Source: Huffington Post)
A microfilm Bible regarded as one of the rarest "books" on earth, after
flying around the moon once with Apollo 13 and later landing on the
moon's surface with Apollo 14, sold at an auction of space memorabilia
in Dallas on Wednesday for $75,000.

The 1.5 inch by 1.5 inch (3.8 cms by 3.8 cms) "Lunar Bible," which can
be read with a microscope, is one of 12 complete Bibles that remain
from a collection of 100 Bibles which made it to the moon's surface
with astronaut Edgar Mitchell in 1971. "This tiny microform contains
the complete Bible, all 1,245 pages of the King James Bible, both Old
and New Testaments," said Michael Riley, senior historian for Heritage
Auctions. (5/15)

British MoD Works on
'Quantum Compass' Technology to Replace GPS (Source: Space
Daily)
UK scientists say they are three to five years away from creating a new
navigation system that would not rely on space-based technologies. A
"quantum compass" might replace the US's widely-used GPS, first in
military and then on smartphones. The British Ministry of Defense is
investing millions of pounds into the "earth-based" technology, which
they hope may become an alternative to space-based GPS on board nuclear
submarines and ships. Click here.
(5/15)

Fifth Proton Failure
Since 2010 (Source: Space News)
The heavy-lift Proton has now failed five times since late 2010, all on
Russian government missions. A State Commission has been formed to
investigate the mishap, Roscosmos said. According to an English
translation of the Roscosmos press release, the Express AM4R spacecraft
did not reach orbit. However, the company that markets the Proton
vehicle commercially, International Launch Services, said the satellite
had been placed in the wrong orbit.

As is the case with the previous five Proton failures, including a
spectacular crash last July, ILS was not involved in the Express 4AMR
mission. However, the company has upcoming commercial Proton launches
on its manifest, including missions for satellite operators SES and
Inmarsat. It is unclear whether the schedules for these commercial
missions will be affected by the failure. However, Roscosmos is known
for quickly returning vehicles to flight following failures. (5/15)

Crashed Proton Carried
$225 Million in Insurance (Source: RIA Novosti)
According to rocket-maker Khrunichev, the Proton was insured for 7.8
billion rubles ($224 million). The insurer is Russia's Ingosstrakh,
which has been operating on the domestic and international insurance
markets since 1947. (5/16)

SpaceX Land Holdings Mount
(Source: Valley Morning Star)
SpaceX has once again added to its land holdings in Cameron County. The
site where SpaceX’s Elon Musk proposes to launch his commercial rockets
is expanding — to be a place “where science meets imagination.” Dogleg
Park LLC, on behalf of the California-based SpaceX, purchased an
additional two lots in Cameron County this month, bringing the total
number of lots it owns to 97, comprising nearly 40 acres of land. (5/15)

Spaceport America Counts
Down to Launch (Source: Bloomberg)
Spaceport America, the world’s first base for commercial spaceflights,
will begin launching suborbital craft from Richard Branson’s Virgin
Galactic and Elon Musk’s SpaceX later this year. The spaceport, located
near Truth or Consequences, a former frontier town in the New Mexico
desert, employs about 1,300 people and says it will add 1,800 more jobs
by 2018. (5/16)

Scenic Highway
Designation Slowed by Shiloh Spaceport Advocate (Source:
Daytona Beach News-Journal)
A proposal that would extend a scenic byway designation linked to the
Indian River Lagoon into southern Volusia County stalled Thursday,
confronted by one County Councilwoman with concerns that it was
“posturing” to hurt the chances of a space-launch facility in the same
area. The council will consider the proposal again in a month, after
addressing possible impacts on the potential launch site. Councilwoman
Deb Denys said she was “throwing up a red flag” Thursday.

“...My concern is if we do this — and I think this is what it was
designated for — this could possibly give us future restrictions to our
space program use. We are at the federal level for a possible license
for a commercial spaceport. This will hamper — could hamper — that
going forward.” Denys, one of Shiloh's strongest supporters, wanted the
byway designation tabled indefinitely, but the rest of the council
agreed to delay it long enough to get some answers in writing. (5/16)

New ISS Expedition
Unaffected by Proton Crash (Source: RIA Novosti)
The investigation into the crash of a Russian Proton-M rocket will not
affect the launch of the next crew to the International Space Station,
the head of the Russian space agency said. “This contingency flight
will not impact the manned mission: Proton and Soyuz are carrier
rockets of a completely different type. In any case, we will toughen
the control over the preparation for all the launches,” Roscosmos chief
Oleg Ostapenko said. (5/16)

Midland Texas Spaceport
One Step Closer To Reality (Source: Permian Basin 360)
"We're going to be the first entity in America that has both a
spaceport and a commercial airport at the same location," said
Councilman John Love. And after a meeting at City Hall Thursday, It
looks like it could be well on it's way after talks for almost two
years. "The process is long and it's involved and ther are certain
perameters we have to reach, which we've been meeting," said Love.
Parameters like zoning and land use near the Midland International
Airport. (5/16)

Embry-Riddle and Larsen
Motorsports Move Forward with R&D Center (Source:
ERAU)
Larsen Motorsports, the world’s premiere all-women jet dragster racing
team, has begun relocating their facility adjacent to Daytona Beach
International Airport in anticipation of continuing operations at the
Embry-Riddle Center for Motorsports Engineering Research and
Development facility, now under construction. This move will allow for
the immediate development of the 12-acre property where Larsen
Motorsports is currently located into the new Embry-Riddle Eagle Flight
Research Center. (5/15)

ATK Hits Quarterly Targets
(Source: Investors Business Daily)
Alliant Techsystems (ATK) beat fiscal fourth-quarter earning estimates
amid its shift from focusing primarily on the military market to the
home defense and hunting market. Shares of the top U.S. ammunition
maker initially fell as much as 7% early Thursday, in part on weak
profit guidance for the coming year.

Earnings per share rose 11.7% in the quarter to $2.49, 8 cents better
than forecasts. Revenue climbed 17% to $1.35 billion. Wall Street
expected $1.32 billion. On April 29, ATK announced plans to merge with
rocket launch and satellite equipment maker Orbital Sciences (ORB) in a
deal valued at $5 billion. After the merger, ATK will spin off its
outdoor sports unit, which has grown to a $2.2 billion business, as a
separate publicly traded company. (5/15)

Astrotech Reports Third
Quarter 2014 Financial Results (Source: Yahoo Finance)
Astrotech
Corp. announced financial results for its fiscal year 2014 third
quarter. Astrotech posted a third quarter fiscal year 2014 net loss of
$2.8 million on revenue of $1.6 million compared with a third quarter
fiscal year 2013 net loss of $0.1 million on revenue of $4.6 million.
(5/15)

State Department Issues
Shipping Licenses for Two Russia-bound Satellites (Source:
Space News)
The U.S. State Department has issued shipping licenses for two
commercial telecommunications satellites preparing for launch this year
aboard Russian Proton rockets from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome. The
licenses to Boeing and Airbus for the Inmarsat 5 F2 and Astra 2G
satellites, respectively, would suggest that the reach of U.S.
sanctions against Russia for its behavior in Ukraine has stopped short
of the broader commercial space sector, at least for now. (5/15)

In-Situ Resources A Key
To Deep Space Exploration (Source: Aviation Week)
After years of flailing its way into the post-space shuttle era, NASA
is beginning to get its arms around just what it will take to explore
deep space with human beings. This includes tapping all of its
resources to develop a realistic engineering approach to deal with the
hazardous environments beyond the Van Allen Belts—and up the street on
Capitol Hill—where it operates.

Having accepted that it won’t receive a blank check to plant the flag
on Mars—the only destination that makes sense for human exploration
right now—NASA has adopted a space-based crawl-walk-run approach that
could get humans to the red planet in 20 years, with a lot of help from
international and commercial partners, and only a “modest” increase in
U.S. funding. Click here.
(5/15)

Japanese Drink Company is
Putting the First Billboard on the Moon (Source: The Verge)
Japanese beverage maker Otsuka is sending a 1 kilogram titanium can
filled with powdered sports drink and children's dreams to the moon.
The specially designed canister, which contains a shipment of Otsuka's
Pocari Sweat powder, will mark a disturbing new frontier for humanity:
the first commercial product delivered to another world for marketing
purposes.

The canister will be carried to the lunar surface aboard the first
planned private moon-landing mission, set to take place in October
2015. Otsuka says it hopes that the stunt will inspire young people to
become astronauts, so they can travel the 380,000 kilometers (236,121
miles) to our closest celestial neighbor, crack open the can, and
consume the powder inside. The capsule will be conveyed to the moon by
the Falcon 9 rocket. (5/15)

Florida Middle School
Students Send Experiments to the “Edge of Space!” (Source:
Grace Lutheran)
Grace Lutheran Middle School Science, consisting of sixty two 6th-8th
grade students, had their self-designed experiments flown to the ‘edge
of space” on May 4th 2014. A total of 16 experiments went to
an altitude of nearly 100,000 feet or 20 miles in five
“mini-cubes.” This area of the stratosphere is a harsh
environment that consists of temperatures down to -80 degrees F, a near
vacuum and harsh ultra-violet radiation.

A “mini-cube” is a 5 cm cube that is lofted by high altitude balloon
and can carry up to 4 experiments in each cube. JP Aerospace
was contracted to fly and recover the cubes. Students will be opening
the mini-cubes and evaluating the outcome of their experiments on
Monday morning, May 19. (5/15)

ULA Blames SpaceX for
Rocket Engine Spat (Source: DOD Buzz)
A Lockheed Martin Corp.-Boeing Co. joint venture is blaming start-up
rocket-maker SpaceX for the growing imbroglio between the U.S. and
Russia over rocket engines, GPS satellites and even missions to the
International Space Station.The messages were viewed as retaliation
against U.S. sanctions levied in response to Russia’s invasion and
subsequent annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea.

While the Lockheed-Boeing joint venture said it wasn’t aware of any
restrictions on sales of the RD-180, it put fault for the spat squarely
on SpaceX, which has repeatedly raised objections to the U.S.‘s
reliance on Russia for access to space in its quest to compete in the
military market. “However, if recent news reports are accurate, it
affirms that SpaceX’s irresponsible actions have created unnecessary
distractions, threatened U.S. military satellite operations, and
undermined our future relationship with the International Space
Station.” (5/15)

Russian Space Program
Gets $52Bln Boost (Source: Moscow Times)
As a tit-for-tat sanctions war vaporizes U.S.-Russian space
cooperation, the Russian government has boosted the budget of its
Federal Space Agency by 1.8 trillion rubles ($52 billion) to modernize
and expand its existing infrastructure and capabilities by 2020. The
new program for Russian space activities through 2020 was quietly
released on Tuesday, the same day that Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry
Rogozin issued a series of controversial statements painting the future
of U.S.-Russian space cooperation in a bleak light.

Last year, President Vladimir Putin pledged to double down on Russia's
space program, presenting an ambitious outline of exploration and
technological development through 2030 and beyond. He promised a $52
billion investment toward revitalizing Russian space efforts, which has
now been delivered. The new space budget places Roscosmos back on the
leading edge of global space expenditures, second only to NASA. (5/15)